Northbound/Chapter Two
"Let all Clan members old enough to walk on their own two feet gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!” Eladar hollered, and Piplyn clenched her hands into fists and wriggled her toes in excitement. As each summer ended, the younglings who were now six summers old would have their apprentice ceremonies. This was Piplyn’s sixth summer – and Daisylyn and Garlyn too! “Are you nervous?” Geremak asked in a whisper. Her head was close to Piplyn’s ear as she held her daughter in her arms at the edge of the circle of firelight which surrounded the Highrock. Eladar stood on top of the rock, his brown arms folded across his bare chest. The wolf-fur cloak was slung around his shoulders, trailing on the rock at his feet. It was traditional for the Clan leader to wear a cloak from the Clan animal during meetings or Gatherings. “I’m never scared,” Piplyn told her mother, but she was lying. Her every muscle was twitching with adrenaline and anticipation. She could see Garlyn, in Ketmar’s arms, and Daisylyn being held by Birchmar. Both of them were wearing the same wolf-fur tunics as Piplyn. The only time wolf-fur was allowed to be used by Clan law was at ceremonies like this, and Piplyn was relishing the feel of the soft fur. “Will the younglings approach?” Eladar asked, and Geremak lowered her daughter to the ground. Piplyn put her shoulders back and held her head up high, taking a deep breath as she moved into the circle of firelight. She’d been well washed earlier, and her long black hair had been untangled with the bone-tooth comb. Slowly she stepped forward until she stood in front of the Highrock. Daisylyn and Garlyn came to stand on either side of her. Garlyn grabbed her hand and she snuck a glance at him sideways. He didn’t look at her, staring straight ahead, but he was chewing nervously on his lower lip. His curly golden hair shone in the firelight. On Piplyn’s other side, Daisylyn was looking as though she belonged in the circle of firelight – being the centre of attention like this. She tossed her head, making her blond pigtails bounce from shoulder to shoulder. On an impulse, Piplyn grabbed her enemy’s hand; Daisylyn was her cousin, as well as her nemesis, and family counted for something within the Clan. The blond girl didn’t look around, but her lips curved in a small smile. The three younglings stood there, linked at the hands. “Daisylyn, Piplyn and Garlyn,” Eladar said. “All three of you have passed your sixth summer, and it is now time for you to be given your new names and become apprentices of WolfClan.” Piplyn took a deep breath as the Clan leader leapt off the rock, landing with bent knees in front of her. He took a step to his right and placed his hand on Daisylyn’s head. “Daisyrin,” he said, “I welcome you as a warrior apprentice of WolfClan. Your mentor will be Oaknik.” Oaknik was Piplyn’s uncle, and she watched carefully as he stepped forward and kneeled in front of Daisyrin. The two of them clasped hands and pressed their noses and foreheads together twice. Eladar was standing in front of Piplyn now. “Piprin,” he said, and her heart leapt as she heard her new name uttered for the first time. “I welcome you as a warrior apprentice of WolfClan. Your mentor will be Arnik.” Arnik! Piprin thought. The new warrior was only sixteen summers, but he was one of the strongest, bravest and most talented fighters the Clan had ever seen. She supposed that was why such a young warrior had been given an apprentice. He stepped forward, his red hair brushing his neck, and knelt before her. She extended her hand and felt him grasp it firmly, and then he placed his other hand on her shoulder and pulled her towards him. Their noses and foreheads touched – once, twice, and it was done. Arnik rose to his feet, keeping a hold of her hand, and pulled her out of the circle of firelight with him. “Hello,” she whispered, looking up at him. He looked down at her but didn’t reply. Piprin frowned. Doesn’t he like me? “Garen,” Eladar intoned, placing his hand on the curly hair of the final youngling. “I welcome you as a hunter apprentice of WolfClan. Your mentor will be Celtor.” As Celtor and Garen touched noses, Arnik pulled his hand out of Piprin’s grip. She looked down at her bare feet and sighed. Clearly her mentor wasn’t as excited about the ceremony as she was. Just like that, it was all over. The three new apprentices were escorted to their dens by their older peers. In the warrior apprentice den, Daisyrin and Piprin pulled off their wolf-fur tunics and changed back into the short deer skirts. The tunics would be returned to the nursery and used by the next younglings to go through the ceremony. “I looked very good in my tunic,” Daisyrin said smugly as the two girls heaped fur and feathers to make their beds. “And the firelight made my hair sparkle. Your hair is just black.” “What’s wrong with black?” Piprin asked sadly. “Nothing,” Daisyrin smiled, but her tone suggested that what she really meant to say was ‘everything’. Piprin glared at her new denmate. Why did Daisyrin have to be a warrior too? she wondered. Sonrin bounced into the den just as the beds were finished. She grabbed Daisyrin’s shoulder in one hand and Piprin’s shoulder in the other. “Den meeting,” she told them, dragging them towards the door. “Come on.” “Why isn’t the den meeting in the den?” Daisyrin protested. “Because it’s hot and stuffy in there right now," Sonrin replied. “Who made you den leader?” the new apprentice asked, scowling. “While Cherryrin’s in the medicine den I’m the oldest warrior apprentice, and that means that you have to do what I say,” Sonrin told the blond girl. “Or else.” She drew her eyebrows together angrily. Daisyrin squeaked fearfully and closed her mouth with a snap. Sonrin looked a lot like Forestnaf, her olda, when she was angry, Piprin thought. It was no surprise that Daisyrin was scared of her. Everyone in the Clan knew of Forestnaf’s temper. The den meeting was held down by the river. Now that the sun had set, the water looked dark and menacing. Fish rose to the surface with sinister pops, and the river splashed and bubbled where it ran over rocks. Griprin looked pleased when his older sister arrived with the two newest apprentices. “I’m not the youngest in our den anymore,” he said importantly. “Shut up, Grip, nobody cares,” Sonrin said sternly, cuffing him across the head. “We have more important things to talk about tonight.” She leaned in, prompting everyone else in the circle to do the same. “A night raid on the hunter apprentices,” she whispered. “Oh, yes!” Hollyrin hissed, her eyes bright. “That’s the best idea, Sonrin,” Reyrin agreed. “Cherryrin’s in the medicine den feeling miserable, so I thought news of our success might cheer her up,” Sonrin continued. “Now, she’d been working on this plan for a while, but we didn’t have the right tools for it. We need someone small, really small, and we just got two new apprentices.” All eyes turned to Piprin, who was undeniably the shorter of the two. Her eyes widened. “Me?” she yelped. “Sssh,” muttered someone, and, “Not so loud,” came another hushed voice. “What do you need me for?” Piprin said nervously, lowering the volume. “Our den and the hunter apprentice den are on opposite sides of the camp,” Sonrin began. “The only way to get there without the warrior on watch seeing us is to creep out of the camp at the dirtplace and sneak around outside until we reach the bushes beside the hunter apprentices den. The gap beneath the bushes is tiny, and if you stand too tall the firelight casts your shadow across the clearing and you’ll be caught.” She looked straight at Piprin. “That’s where you come in. We’ll send you wriggling through the gap first, and then pass you bowls of water. Your job is to spread the water around the base of the den. It will make the ground around the den muddy, and with any luck seep underneath the walls and make all the beds damp. Do you think you’re up for the job?” Piprin opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She swallowed hard and tried again. “Yes,” she croaked. Sonrin smiled grimly. “Good. Those hunter apprentices won’t know what’s hit them.” The warrior apprentices went back to their den, and lay down in their beds. Senrin was given first watch, and after the warrior on watch (that night it was Oaknik) came around to check that everyone was where they should be, he leapt into action. Moving quietly around the den, the young apprentice shook shoulders and whispered names until all of the apprentices were awake. “Ready?” Sonrin asked, and everyone nodded. “Let’s go.” Moving in groups of one or two at a time, the apprentices hustled to the dirtplace tunnel. There was an easy way to squeeze out of the bushes at the back there, and in no time at all they were all outside the camp wall. Well, all except for Griprin. “You go on without me,” he whispered. “I, uh… I gotta pee.” There were snickers from the older apprentices, and then they all hustled onwards. The carved bone bowls were already waiting outside the camp. “I put them here earlier,” Sonrin explained. Every apprentice picked up a bowl and hustled down to the river – except Piprin. She lay flat on her belly on the dusty ground and wriggled forward through the tiny gap in the bushy camp wall. Thorns tugged at her hair, but she kept her head low until she reached the other side. “Here,” Hollyrin whispered, passing through the first bowl; full to the brim with river water. “The others are coming with more.” Carefully, Piprin tipped the bowl’s contents at the edge of the den, spreading it carefully. She grinned to herself when she saw the water seep under the den wall. As each bowl of water was passed through, she poured it on the den. The other warrior apprentices continued bringing water until Sonrin called a halt. “That’s enough,” she said. “Let’s go.” The apprentices dashed off as Piprin wriggled back through the gap in the bushes. For an awful, heart-stopping moment, she thought that they had all left without her – but Sonrin had waited. “Come on,” she said, grabbing Pip’s hand. They ran together back around the camp until they reached the weak spot behind the dirtplace, crawled through and returned to their den. Later, Oaknik would report that the warrior apprentices den had seemed to be filled with giggling and whispering until the sun began to rise. He couldn’t think of a possible reason for all the commotion until the next evening, when the hunter apprentices den collapsed. Apparantly the support under the den walls had been weakened by water, and it sank slowly into the ground and peacefully toppled over.